This landscape project created by
Flávia D'Urso – from the cast of
CASACOR Minas Gerais – is so abundant that it seems to have been created by artificial intelligence. But it is real and located in a vacation home in southern Bahia, designed by the
Isa Rebello Arquitetura office, with 5930 m² of outdoor area. "It is a refuge immersed in nature," defines the landscaper.
Originally, the land was completely cleared, with some
trees and
palms already existing. The clients, a couple with three children, two of them already adults and one teenager, enjoy receiving friends, value family moments, and contact with nature. For this reason, they wanted landscaping that integrated with the local landscape and included many native species –
about 70 species were used in the project, with characteristics of the
Atlantic Forest restinga region.
The landscaping project was developed in parallel with the architecture, seeking balance and harmony between them through natural finishes like the stone of the facade and the wooden deck. "Since it is a single-story house, the construction allowed it to be surrounded by nature. In fact, the interior design also brings a very close dialogue with the landscaping project, using natural colors and materials," Flávia explains.
Besides the architecture, the characteristics of the site also guided the conception of the project. The saturated soil, preservation areas, salinity, winds, and intense heat, which raised concerns about clients' projects comfort, were studied for its development.
An example of this is the lake in front of the pool deck, created to allow for drainage of the land. In addition to it, which received species such as
water lily (
Nymphaea rubra),
victoria regia (
Victoria amazonica), and
papyrus (
Cyperus papyrus), the landscaper also contributed to the design of the accesses, especially the ramp for vehicles – a challenge due to the topography and saturated areas.
To bring the language of a coastal house into landscaping, Flavia selected a variety of palms, such as the
lacquer palm (
Cyrtostachys renda), the
caranda palm (
Copernicia alba), the
fox tail palm (
Wodyetia bifurcata), and the
bamboo palm (
Dypsis lutescens), used to reinforce the privacy of the leisure area. The philodendron family also received a lot of attention, including
guaimbê (
Philodendron bipinnatifidum),
pinnatifidum philodendron (
Philodendron pinnatifidum),
wavy philodendron (
Philodendron undulatum), and
xanadu (
Philodendron xanadu), which add volume with a wide variety of shades of green, textures, and movement.
"Besides the palms and philodendrons, we achieved the desired tropicality with
musaceae, heliconias, and strelitzias," Flávia describes. From these families, the
Sumatran banana (
Musa sumatrana),
heliconia firebird (
Heliconia bihai),
heliconia parrot (
Heliconia psittacorum),
swamp banana (
Heliconia rostrata),
bird of paradise (
Strelitzia reginae), and the
traveler's tree (
Ravenala madagascariensis) stand out in the gardens.
The colors made their presence felt in the flowers of many species used and in the
Porto Seguro bromeliads (Aechmea blanchetiana) – in addition to being native to the region, the clients also wanted to include them in the garden. "The use of this species allowed us to maintain the identity and language of the surrounding vegetation, being distributed throughout the land with a lot of naturalness through fluid and organic designs," the landscaper explains.
The irrigation system is another point of attention for Flávia and was essential for the project, considering the climatic conditions and salinity in a house by the beach. "A requirement I have in my gardens is that the irrigation system be drip, buried, and completely automated. I believe it should be discreet, not to steal attention from the plants," she explains. Decorative elements were also added to the gardens, such as a
wooden boat, a solid wood bench made by local artisans, and a horse sculpture by artist Emerson de Paula, all chosen by the residents.
